Girls Volleyball: SWR outhit by Sayville in playoff tuneup

The Shoreham-Wading River High School girls volleyball team didn’t get the result it was looking for. Then again, the Wildcats could take some good things away from their final regular-season match Thursday.

In a playoff tuneup for both teams, visiting Sayville defeated Shoreham, 25-22, 25-18, 25-19, in a Suffolk County League VI match.
Sayville (14-4, 12-2) certainly has all its pieces in place as the Golden Flashes await the release of the playoff brackets. For one thing, Sayville’s hitting game looks sharp. Caroline Rupp (14 kills, four service aces, one assist, one block), Madison Mergl (11 kills, five aces, three assists, one block) and Melanie O’Hoppe (nine kills) received a steady supply of sets from Caroline Ross (29 assists). Sayville totaled 38 kills to Shoreham’s 18.

Shoreham’s big hitter, senior middle hitter Courtney Wrigley, came up with 10 kills, an ace and a block. Katlynn McGivney had 18 assists and went 12-for-12 serving with an ace for the Wildcats (7-8, 7-7).

Shoreham twice took one-point leads in the first set, held several leads in the second set (the last at 15-14), and led, 7-6, in the third before Sayville turned up its game to close out the match.